Khaberni - Micaela McGhee, aged 29, did not expect her short visit to Bahrain to become a turning point in her life. The American young woman, who grew up in a military family that moved between American bases around the world, found in the Gulf state what she did not find in her homeland.
In an interview with the American network "CNBC," Micaela described herself as an "army brat," as her mother served in the US Navy for 30 years, while her father has been on the job for 40 years. She said: "My life was a constant moving from one base to another, and I spent most of my childhood in Japan, where I realized that I wanted to live outside the United States."
After returning to America, she couldn't adapt to the traditional life and continued to search for the freedom that living abroad provided her. In 2020, she visited her parents in Bahrain where her father was stationed at the US naval base there. Before the trip, she held negative perceptions of the region, but was surprised by what she saw.
Micaela said, "The cultural shock was that things are better, not worse. Don't believe everything you hear or see in the media; life here is completely different. Bahrain is calm and safe, and I never felt like a stranger or unwelcome."
She spent 3 months in Bahrain, during which she fell in love with the place. She added, "I met wonderful people, and I didn't want to return to America. As soon as I returned, I started planning to move permanently."
In December 2022, she carried out her plan and moved permanently to Bahrain. Initially, she lived in her parents' 3-bedroom house, then rented her own place near the capital Manama, featuring 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, in addition to a swimming pool and garage, for $2,200 monthly. Micaela shares living expenses with her partner, while most of her savings go towards travel and investment.
Her monthly expenses include groceries ranging from $66 to $158 several times a week, plus personal expenses like nail care ($53), hair (up to $79), phone bill ($150), and the costs of storing her belongings in Atlanta ($125).
An American Job from the Heart of the Gulf
Micaela works as a senior manager of digital marketing in a technology company, with an annual salary of $140,000. She works according to Eastern US time, meaning her day starts between five and six PM and ends after midnight. She says, "My goal was to find a job that allowed me to live anywhere and work across time zones."
Despite living in Bahrain, she still pays US taxes and benefits from her company's health insurance, which provides her access to healthcare services in Bahrain.
During the day, she exercises, shops, and shares details of her life in Bahrain on her "TikTok" account, followed by more than 64,000 people. She says, "I feel it is my duty for Americans to know how wonderful this country is."
Micaela doesn't know if she will stay in Bahrain forever, but she plans to buy properties there as an investment, and possibly a permanent home for herself.
She said, "My life here is ten times better. My happiness has increased significantly, even the weather improves my mood. Bahrain felt like home from the first day, and I will not leave unless I find a place that gives me the same feeling."
